Jack-beam.



F. E. TERRILL.

JACK BEAM. APPLICATION TILED APR.3.1912.

Patented Aug. 13, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Hausa lnvamor iwmacm By (a I ,1

Attorney F. E. TERRILL.

JACK BEAM.

APPLICATION FILED APELS, 1912.

Patented Aug. 13, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

s e *Q Witnesses.

F. E. TBRRILL. JACK BEAM.

APPL IUATION FILED APR.3,1912. 1 ,O35,267, Patented Aug. 13,1912.

3 SHEETS'SHEET 3.

Witness:

Inventor m Attornly.

- when abnormal loads are undertaken.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANKLIN E. TERRILL, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE BROWN HOISTING MACHINERY COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 3, 1812 Serial No. 688,262.

Patented Aug. 13, 1912.

. ter in each case.

The improvement is of a character that will have its more general application and use in connection wlth, and as a feature of wrecking cranes to increase their stability in action, and insure the same against overturning, or undue strain upon the parts, To this "end, as is well understood, cranes of this class are customarily provided at the corners of the same with so-called jack-arms or beams, that may be let down or extended, beneath or in line with the boom and load, in a manner to widen the area of the cranes base in that direction. Similarly, and as supplemental to these corner jack-arms descri ed, a horizontal girder 0r jack-beam is so mounted at the middle point of the crane as to lie transversely within the frame during transit, but to be capable of being drawn out therefrom in action, through its length on either side, until one end remains and is upheld by the crane itself, and the other end rests upon blocks, or other exterior supports provided for the purpose.

The design of the present invention is to so fashion and mount jack-arms and beams, in wrecking-cranes of the kind referred to, that their extension and jacking-up may be brought about with a minimum of force, and, without any crushing of the parts involved. This result is accomplished by the method relating the beam to the crane proper that is now to be pointed out and described.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side view of the portion of a crane wherein the improvement is immediately located. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the portion shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, through the line :0, w, of Fig. 1, when the lateral jack-beam is in its withdrawn position. Fig.4 is an enlarged side-view of the jack-beam, when extended, with a trans verse sectiopal View of the supporting portion of the crane itself. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the beam, as shown, in Fig. 4 and of surrounding ortions ofthe crane-body. Fig. 6 iso si e view of a modified form of mounting the beam within the crane, with dotted lines to indicate its relation thereto when withdrawn. Fig.v 7 is a like viewof a further modification of the method of so mounting the same, and Fig. 8 shows one end of the rollers used in the previous figures with a portion of the axles of the same.

The crane-body or frame itself comprises longitudinal side-beams or girders G, that are connected together by the cross-girders G. Supported by these several girders, centrallyof the frame as a whole, .I locate a four-sided steel casting C, to serve, primarily, as the base and support for the usual turn-table 0f the crane, and as a housing B,

for the center jack-beam I. .To this end the casting itself is made box-shaped on its under side, cross-wise of the crane, with the ends of the box-shaped portion\ meeting and corresponding in dimension and outlines with openings B in the opposite girders G. A bearing-plate or casting C preferably surrounds these openings, on the exterior face of the girders, the upper cross part or portion of the plates, as shown, being sub stantially thicker than the remaining portion of the same, and slightly rounded along, I

their lower outer edges, as indicated in Figs. 6 and 7.

The top or upper side of the rectangular housing B, is lnteriupted and uninclosed, through cross-portions thereof B, B near the ends of the same, for the purpose tg be more fully explained. The under surface of the top-side of the housing is preferably in two parallel planes, namely, the superficial central portion B lying between said open spaces B, and the relatively lower superficial portions B at the h'ousings ends.

The jack-beam proper I, is mounted within the housing B, upon rollers r, 7', that extend across the bottom of the housing at suitable distances from each other to afford a stable bearing and equilibrium for the beam when in its normal position within the crane. This spacing bet-ween the rollers is maintained by engaging them axially at their ends with two upright parallel plates or castings .9, within and at the sides of the housing for the purpose. Across and near the top of the plates 8, and similarly engagcarriage.

ing the same, rollers r and r are arranged to receive the upward thrust of the jack; beam as it is'drawn out, and, as a desirable means for steadyingthe movements of the jack-beam within said housing, I show pinions 7), duly journaled within the plates, at suitable points to mesh with racks R and R located respectively, along the housing and jack-beam through the distance to betraveled by said rollers in their destined use. As shown, said plates 8 are held in their fixed parallel relations with each other by means of tubes t, that pass through said rollers axially into bearing, at each end, against the plates, in -which position they are firmly held by rod-bolts b, which pass through the plates, and the intermediate tubes t, and are secured in such position by the end-nuts n, the whole making up a sort of roller-carriage for said beam. As will be. evident the rollers r and 1' when thus threaded on said tubes between the side plates 5, will be free .to. turn and move, with their sustaining plates 8, in the same direction as the jack- 25 beam I when the latter is drawn in or out of the housing, upon and over said roller- The distance said rollers will travel, will, of course, always be but onehalf the the same time.

The jack-beam I, itself, as shown, consists, in the main, of a single I beam casting, of' suitable dimensions to be located within the housing at a movable fit. Across the underside of the lower flange of" said beam, at each end of the same, I provide bars or downwardly projecting protuberances P, to serve as contact or bearing pieces parat-us,

for the beam, and, thereby relieve the rollers from the crushing force to which they would otherwise be subjected, when said beam is extended from the housing and jacked up into its load-sustainin position. Said protuber'ances may be 0% rectangular section, convex, or rocker-shaped, or of any other suitable form for the purpose, and, if desired, for convenience in assembling the apthey may be removable with respect to their places on the beam. They, course, should not extend so far below the beam as not to clear the floor of the housing when the beam is resting upon the rollers in its normal osition. a

" It is evi ent that, as soon as the center of gravity of the beam I, as the latter travels outwardly with the roller-carriage, has overhauled the forward. one of said rollers,-the beam will fulcrum upon the forward roller and its inner end be tilted 'out of bearing with the rear roller. The latter ro1ler,'under such conditions, will become idle, but, in order to insure that it shall not again come into bearing with the beam and be subjected to a crushing force by the same when the outer end thereof is-jac ed up, the ends distance traveled by thebean in '8 instead of bein of the beam, on the under surface of its lower flange, are cut away in rabbet-like recesses U, from the point as just stated where the front roller, for the time being, takes on the entire weight of the beam in its outward travel and the rear roller becomesidle. By reason of this recess, and of the downwardly projecting contact or bearing pieces I,

P, when said projecting end. is raised, the bearing-piece P,

the center of gravity of the beam, in" its travel, has overhauled, or passed the forwardmost lower roller, the thrust-roller, if there be but one, (Fig. 7 or the rearmost of a set of such rollers, shall be behinda vertical from said supporting roller; and, the location and dimen'sionsof said u per spaces B, B mustbe such as to a ord ample clearance upward for. the thrustroller, if there is but one or for the forwardthrust rollers,

most of the thrust-rollers, (if there are more than one) when the beam I, Ihavin been withdrawn from its housing, is jac ed up againstthe bearing plate C Figs. 6 and 7 disclose modifications of the. roller-carriage feature shown in the other figures, with corresponding variations in the extent of the trackways, providing for the clearances referred to. In Figs. 6 and 7, the retaining lates s and rectangu ar like the plates 3, are triangu ar, with the .rollersin engagement with the same at the several angles.

consequence, the thrust and supporting roll- The plates themselves'eand, in

and themanner of ers-are arranged reversely 1n the two fig-' ures, there being but one supporting roller r, in the modification illustrated in Fi "6 with two upper or thrust-rollers, 7* an 1",

while, in Fig. 7, there is but one upper-Lor thrust roller 1*, with two lower or supportlng rollers 1- and'r. In each modification, however, as will be seen, whether the tworollers that are in tandem, serve as thrust or as supporting rollers, they will afford, in either case, all theresistance required against any premature tilting of the beam I, as it is drawn outwardly with the roller-carriage. It is also plain that, in either of said modifications, the same provision for clearance forthe rearmost roller of the pair mustbe made as in the roller-carriage arrangement shown in the earlier figures, which is cutting away the beam as at U figures when the base-rollers serve done by in such 4 to sup top the housing,

tuating housing, I 'show 1a chain-gear system,

in chains c, a, are fastened, at one of their sion corresponding with the spaces 13*, and

U, will berequired. s a means for acthe jack-beam in and out of said whereterminals to the crane-body or frame at thence forwardly, at eachside, respectively of the housing, through the same to an around pocket chain wheel a, a, at the far th'er end of the beam I, thence backwardly to and around similar pocket-chain wheels a, a, in'the opposite endof said beam, t an anchorage f on said frame; g and g are, respectively, a bevel gear and pinion, ateach end of the beam, for

., actuating the chain-gear system described;

thesemay be operated b a crank.

- In Figs. 6 and 7,11 s ow the castings C and 'P as arc-shaped along their bearing surfaces, in order to more equally distribute the strains at such points.

The 'ack-beam being in its normal position within the housing, and restingand dulybalanced upon shown in Fig. 3, in order to extend the same into operative position at the side of the craneat which the load is-to be picked up,

necessarily be at. twice will consequently tend to from said tilting point as to rollers are in pairs, the

-clcur:lncc, in the one ruse,

the bevel-gear and'pinion g and g, are cranked in a direction to pull against the anchorage f Thereupon, the end of the beam to which'wheels a are attached, will be brought toward the anchorage at f, and the other end correspondingly projected outwardly over and upon its supporting roller or rollers in the housing; B. Its advance will the distance in the same time as said roller or rollers which will result in the center of gravity of the beam (which at the start was midway of the several rollers involved) changing from its original location with respect to said rollers, to a point forwardly of the same. The beam tilt 'downwardly over its then supporting roller, as to the forward portion of the same, and upwardly against the thrust-roller that is fart-host the rear portion. In the meantime, however, when the i rournlost supporting have been relieved of strain, and portion ll of the beam, while the foremost of the lln-ust-rollcrs will have passed below a space ll, with ample from the brain 1, and in the other, from the housing ll who the beam is finally jacked up at the ouler end. This is next done in the usual nmuurr and the crane is ready for its load. When the load is taken on, under the conditions just assumed, the crane will m:mil' -slly roller will be below the recessed said frame-work,

the rollers 1' and 1" as -ratus, having a housing sustained by the beam at the three points P, C and P, and, the rollers themselves will be entirely out of bearing and without superimposed weight or strain.

What I claiin and wish to sec-ureby Letters Patent, is':-'

1. The combination, frame-work, of rollers movably mounted therein, a jack-beam movably mounted on said rollers, said beam having a bearing piece projecting downwardly at the end, and having its lower portion near said end suitably recessed to be out of contact with the rollers on which it isimounted when said beam, having been moved outwardly from is extended and rotated upwardly upon said bearing-piece, substantially as shown and described.

2-. The' combination,-with a supporting frame-work, of rollers movably. mounted therein a jack-beam suitably mounted on said rollers to be moved outwardly thereon from said frame-work, bearing'pieces proends of.sa1'd ecting downwardly from the beam, and suitable recesses in the lower side ofthe beam to permit the latter to be raised upwardly around said bearing-pieces without contact with said rollers when one of said rollers is beneath-the same, substantiallyas shown anddescribed.

3. In a wrecking crane, or similar apparatus, having a housing through the same the combination of a roller-device in sai housing adapted to travel along the floor of the housing, a jack-beam movably mounted onit e rollers in said device, having downward y extending bearing pieces at' the ends thereof, and suitable said ends for said rollersgwhen the beam is rotated upwardly around said pieces, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a wrecking crane, or simi ar appathrough the same, the combination of a roller-device within said housing comprising oneor more rollers in bearing with the floor of the housing, an one or more rollers in bearing with the top thereof, a jack-beam, having downwardly extending bear ng pieces at the ends, movably mounted upon the rollers in bearing with said floor, together with clearance spaces in said beam and housing for said rollers when the beam is rotated upwardly LIOUlld said pieces, substantially as Shown and described.

5. In a wrecking crane or similar apparalus, having a housing through the some, the combination of a roller-device in said housing provided withrollers,'at the bottom and lop thereof, in operative bearing, respeclively, with the bottom and top of said housing, a jack-beam movably supported, within suid carriage, on the bottom rollers and in bearing with the rollers at the top, said he brain being provided with downwardly exwith a supporting clearance-spaces along tending bearing pieces at the ends, and suitable clearance spaces in said beam, and

. tion with respect to the crane, substantially as shown and described.

6. In a wrecking crane, or similar apparatus, the combination of rollers movably mounted therein, a jack-beam, movably mounted on said; rollers, having downwardly extending" bearing-pieces at the ends thereof, and suitable recesses thereinto give clearance to said rollers when said beam is raised upwardly around said bearing-pieces, from an extended position with respect to said crane, together with suitable means for movinglsaid beam on said rollers, outwardly and inwardly of said crane, substantially as shown and described.

7. The combination, with a supporting frame-work, of 'rollers 'movably mounted therein, a jack-beam movably mounted on said rollers and having the lower portion suitably recessed to beout of contact with the rollers, when the beam is moved outwardly from the frame-work and rotated upwardly upon its inner end, substantially as shown and described. e I

8. In a wrecking crane, or similar apparatus, having a housing inthe same,- the combination of a roller-device within said housing comprising rollers in bearing with the floor of the housing, and rollers in bearing with the top thereof, a jack-beam, mov- '35 ably mounted on said lower rollers, having downwardly extending bearing-pieces at the ends, substantially asshown and described.

- FRANKLIN E. TERRILL. In presence 0f'-' 4 L; P. SIPPs, f W. L. Wnsroorr. 

